New Delhi: The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir handed over appointment letters for government jobs to 39 next of kin of victims of terror attacks in the Kashmir valley in the last few decades.
Among the beneficiaries is Ishtiyaq Ahmad, son of BSF personnel, Altaf Hussain, who was killed in an encounter 19 years ago.
The government job will bring much-needed support to Hussain’s family, which has endured many hardships since he gave up his life for the nation, the L-G Sinha said Saturday.
Saturday was the fourth such occasion this year when appointment letters for government jobs were handed over. So far 200 such letters have been handed over; 158 on the 6th anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 on 5 August, and 80 and 40 on two separate occasions in July.
Besides these, a spokesperson for the L-G’s office said, 156 family members of terror victims have been provided self-employment opportunities through government schemes and initiatives, including Mission Yuva, the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), and the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP).
The Union Territory administration has also removed 17 encroachments from the properties of terror attack victims, the spokesperson further said in a statement.
“For generations, the system had failed these victims by not giving their cases the priority they deserved. We are empowering victims’ voices and ensuring they get the dues and rights they deserve. We are also committed to swift and fair justice to perpetrators,” L-G Sinha said Saturday.
He further placed the onus on society to fight terrorism, saying everyone must take a pledge to confront adversaries with determination and patience and foil their efforts.
“For a long time, the system ignored the pain and trauma of these families. Real victims of terrorism and true martyrs were hounded by elements within the terror ecosystem. On one hand the OGWs were appointed in government jobs, on the other, NoKs of terror victims were left to fend for themselves,” he further said.
On Saturday, the L-G also handed over an appointment letter to the family of Anantnag resident Riyaz Ahmad Mir, who was killed by a terrorist in May 1999. His death, through torture, had left the family with an unforgettable wound and without a means of livelihood, as he was the sole breadwinner for the family, comprising his wife and minor daughter.
An appointment letter was also handed over to Rozy Jan from Anantnag, whose father and elder brother were dragged out of their house and killed by terrorists in February 2020. The brutal killing had left the family and the neighbourhood in a state of shock.
L-G Sinha also handed over the appointment letter to the family of Irshad Ahmad Sofi, a state police officer who had taken part in several anti-terrorist operations. Regarded as one of the key names in anti-terror operations in the valley, Irshad and his father were shot dead by terrorists in their house in September 1999.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)